In many cases when it is required to interconnect processing equipment used for the integration and control of signals transmitted from a number of terminals for example, in the case of the interconnection of the signal integration and control equipment of a telephone circuit with similar equipment for signal integration and control of a telephone exchange, connectors including two halves each comprising a number of contacts for signal transmission and contacts for grounding arranged in a two-dimensional manner (referred to below as multicontact connectors for signal transmission) are used. The advantage presented by such multicontact connectors for signal transmission consists in the fact that they facilitate the increase in the number of signal circuits when required.
Since the connection of signal circuits involves the connection of the coaxial cables associated with each individual circuit, it is desirable that the grounding conductor shield the signal conductor. However, if such connections were made by means of connectors, to provide shielding for each individual contact would result in a substantial increase in the dimension of the connectors, to say nothing of the fact that it would also pose complex engineering problems.
Conventional multicontact connectors for signal transmission with a large number of contacts the engaging portions of which have the shape of, for example, a socket and a pin, or a male tab and female receptacle and which are arranged at a high density are known in the art.
However, the designers of conventional multicontact connectors for signal transmission have concentrated on increasing the density of signal contacts, while ignoring the arrangement of the grounding contacts. As a result, the cross-talk generated between the engaging portions of the contacts has been a wide spread phenomenon.